City's no-bid contract was for the birds: Our View

The city did not accept bids on a $48,000 public art project on the west side.

The city of Wausau's policy, and it is a sensible one, requires it to shop around a little on projects that cost more than $25,000. The city needs to seek estimates from multiple vendors to ensure that it is delivering good value to taxpayers and to avoid the appearance or reality of sweetheart deals and corruption.

The 18 metal bird sculptures that were part of the landscaping project that reshaped the west side entrance to the city - and which have caused such a ruckus in some quarters from those who have aesthetic or fiscal objections to the pieces - cost $48,400.

Whether that was a good value for the city is an open question; we remain studiously neutral on matters of taste - some folks like the sculptures; some don't. But this part is just math: $48,400 is greater than $25,000.

So why didn't the city give multiple vendors the chance to bid on the project?

According to Public Works and Utilities Director Brad Marquardt, the city reverted to "sole-source purchasing" because only one vendor could provide the service using recycled material. That justification feels especially flimsy when weighed against the city's explicit policy that "sole-source purchasing should be avoided unless it is clearly necessary and justifiable." We're all for recycling, but how high a priority is it, really, when it comes to the creation of public art?

The cost for landscaping, meanwhile, for which the city hired Revi Design, was $24,150 - technically below the city's threshold, although arguably still substantial enough to justify bidding.

The local firm that designed the sculptures, EchoScapes & Design, has a unique aesthetic that might well have been exactly what Wausau leaders decided they wanted; Revi Design is well-regarded, too.

But separate from the way the project came out, this much is very clear: The process stunk. It's no wonder that City Council members are pushing for changes to the way the city makes such decisions. The options offered to the city's Finance Committee were not real options at all. Rather, city staff members including Marquardt appear to have made decisions that should have been the province of elected leaders.

It's a problem, and it's one the city needs to fix, either through changes to policies or procedures - or, perhaps, by following the policies it already has.

Thanks to Brezinski for representing Wausau

Almost 10 years ago, when Jim Brezinski joined the Wausau City Council, the city looked very different. He's been one of the city's leaders through a string of important downtown and west-side developments, population growth and new businesses, challenges and changes. He has been one of the leaders on the council and a consistently open and transparent public servant who was always willing to discuss and defend his decisions. He announced Thursday that he would not seek a sixth term next year.

We've had our agreements and our differences with Brezinski, but we never doubted his commitment to Wausau or the seriousness with which he took his position on the council. Thanks to Brezinski for a decade of public service.

RIP Nelson Mandela

The death on Thursday of Nelson Mandela, who battled South African apartheid with almost unimaginable bravery, was imprisoned for 27 years and then became South Africa's first black president, is an occasion to reflect on one of the truly heroic figures of the 20th century. Mandela embodied the hopes of his nation and the international anti-apartheid movement and somehow, impossibly, managed to live up to them. His struggle against racist, separatist policies and his life itself are an inspiration.

Others will have more fitting eulogies to offer. But among the many inspirational speeches and written passages of Mandela's that have been circulating, here's one close to our hearts we wanted to share:

"A critical, independent and investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy," Mandela said in a 1994 speech to the International Press Institute Congress in Cape Town. "The press must be free from state interference. It must have the economic strength to stand up to the blandishments of government officials. It must have sufficient independence from the vested interests to be bold and inquiring without fear or favour. It must enjoy the protection of the constitution, so that it can protect our rights as citizens."

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City's no-bid contract was for the birds: Our View

The city of Wausau's policy, and it is a sensible one, requires it to shop around a little on projects that cost more than $25,000.

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